Baby It's Cold Outside
by FreeSpritSprite
Summary: A Christmas Oneshot, Marauders plus Lilly and minus Peter. Lilly and James are married and the four friends have a great Christmas together.


Sirius and Remus had left for the night after considerable Christmas festivities in the Potter's home. It had been something of a housewarming party as well, because Lilly and James had just moved in to their first house (as opposed to a flat). The four friends had certainly made the best of it, and, for a change, there had actually been a reason. Usually the Marauders plus Lilly would just spontaneously burst into celebration without any good cause and had a difficult times explaining their activities to any unsuspecting person that happened upon them. One time in 7th year James and Lilly had thrown a party to commemorate Lilly successfully hexing Malfoy for the 184th time that year or the night before their joint bachaelor/ette party (neither of them would hear of spending even one evening apart) when Sirius and Remus had kidnapped them both in the name of celebrating the fact that Sirius' hair had grown to a length of 9.371 centimeters past his ears. But not this time, this time the inseparable four (Peter was unfortunately off on an order mission) had much to celebrate. In addition to it being Christmas day and the Potter's moving into their first house Lilly and James also announced that they were expecting a their first child sometime the next summer. Remus and Sirius were happy enough to rival the proud parents in their glee.

Lilly organized bobbing for pumpkins (Sirius won hands down) and apparation hide-and-go-seek (she was not yet far along enough in her pregnancy for apparation to be dangerous) which dissolved into fits of laughter when all four of them separately apparated into a small broom closet and had quite a time disentangling themselves. Sirius put together a drinking contest (with sparkling apple cider of course, because even if Lilly had allowed it, none of the boys were letting any alcohol within 100 feet of the newest Potter or his mother). To nobody's surprise James won that one, he'd always had a talent for eating quickly. Remus and Lilly won at taboo, though James and Sirius had a slightly deeper bond than they did Remus and Lilly had better vocabularies. And though the Marauders put up a noble fight Lilly beat them all very badly at twister. The boys weren't willing the resort to their normal tactics of pushing people over for fear of hurting their new child, godchild, and best friends' child.

They had sung carols (accompanied by James and Sirius on guitars, Remus on the piano and Lilly on the harp) and danced to the wizarding wireless, each of the marauders cutting in on the others over and over again (because Lilly was the only woman there) until James charmed their hands together. At that point Remus and Sirius broke into a break dancing contest (no small feat as they were still dancing to Christmas and romantic music), they Lilly and James declared it a tie when James thought that Remus was better while Lilly favored Sirius. The friends decorated cookies that Lilly had baked earlier (the boys coming up with such interesting color choices as purple reindeer and orange trees; except for Sirius who had always had a certain artistic flare). James and Remus, 'jealous' of Sirius' ability (but really just in the mood for some more excitement) instigated a food fight and all but leveled Lilly's kitchen. The witch left her maurauders to clean it up while she went to take a shower. They had had a grand time opening presents, one especially high point being when both Remus and Sirius brought out gifts for 'baby Potter' even though they hadn't known for sure that Lilly was expecting, though Lilly was less thrilled than James by the miniature broom, quiddich balls and seeker uniform in Gryffindor colors. She did like the books and blanket that Remus had thrown in to appease her though.

James suggested that they act out the Christmas story, with himself as Joseph, Lilly as Mary, Remus as the narrator and Sirius as everything else (except for the baby Jesus, they wrapped up the baby's new blanket for that). Sirius made an excellent donkey, as Lilly rode him through the house, and a very interesting angel as he felt compelled to sing his favorite Christmas song 'God rest ye merry hippogriffs' rather than the prescribed 'Oh come all ye faithful' and looked quite stunning all in white, borrowing one of Lilly's sheets. But at long last Sirius and Remus needed to go home, promising to meet up with the Potters the next day for a picnic in a nearby park, and James and Lilly were left alone.

She lay beaming on the couch, exhausted but bursting with happiness for all that she had been blessed with, holding a goblet of sparkling apple cider. James moved in to sit behind her and she leaned against his chest. Lilly looked coyly up into her husband's eyes, yawned and said, "I really can't stay".

"What?"

"I really can't stay"

James started having flashbacks of their dating years, where his Lilly, who didn't believe in premarital sex, would always insist that she needed to go home. "What are you talking about Lilly? What's going on?"

"The neighbors might think…"

"Think what? That you're my wife? That you live here? That you're two months pregnant with our child?"

"James, what's in this drink?"

_Oh Merlin, she's starting to rhyme…_ "Smashed up old apples are in that drink Mrs. Potter, what is going on with you? Are you ok?"

"Baby?"

"Yes"

She looked into his eyes, put her goblet on the side table, and went up to kiss him on the lips. "It's cold outside", Lilly said as she broke the kiss, then burst into laughter that James soon joined.

"That wasn't funny!" He said whipping the tears of laughter from his eyes. "I thought you'd gone mad"

"Ha!" Then, with a confused look on her face, "James, why am I still here, I asked you to take me home"

"What?"

"I can't believe you feel for that again"

"Why you little…"

"Beautiful, amazing woman who you love with all your heart?" she asked coyly looking into his eyes and wrapping a lock of hair around her fingers.

He'd never been able to resist that, "my thoughts exactly. I love you Lilly Isabella Potter"

"I love you more James"

"Not possible" he said pulling her up. "Would you like to dance?" He turned the CD player on to her favorite song.

"I'd love to"

"Look, mistletoe" he said after charming it all up there.

Lilly looked up to see their entire ceiling blanketed with the herb, "you're right, It's a good thing that wasn't here earlier, it would have been quite a hassle"

"Not a hassle now?"

"Nope, just a good excuse"

"I quite agree Mrs. Potter"

And they danced, Lilly in James' strong arms, James holding the love of his life close to him, just barely feeling the little life they'd created safe between their bodies. By unspoken agreement they exchanged a kiss with every step.


End file.
